Student Profile: Shaunna Baumhardt ’15 Discovers Scotland

Junior Shaunna Baumhardt of Milwaukee, Wis., discovered a whole new perspective while studying in St. Andrews, Scotland, during the spring semester of 2013.

She says she has always wanted to visit Ireland, but instead ended up in Scotland — “just a hop, skip and a jump away.” She says that Scotland is a good place to visit because of the richness in tradition and landscape.

As a double major in business and economics, Baumhardt was especially excited to work in her subject areas in a different setting, but also enjoyed the bonus perk of having her classes taught in the English language.

She dove right in to her classes: “Macroeconomics,” “Topics in Finance” and “Scottish Music.” She says she found the music class most intriguing.

“We covered many of the traditional Scottish instruments and how they were changed by the national culture. We also heard about the bagpipe, harp and lute,” Baumhardt says. The class also covered the history of Scotland, an interest of Baumhardt’s.

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“It made traveling around Scotland that much more real,” she says. “I could go to some place and say, ‘Hey, I learned about this city.’ I gained a respect for Scotland as a whole through this class, and I would suggest it to anyone who wants to learn about Scotland in a fun and unique way.”

Baumhardt enjoyed her stay with her host family, especially the children. “The family I stayed with had two children, Collum and Kay,” she says. “They were both adorable, and hearing Scottish accents on kids was adorable!”

She says the thing she appreciates the most about her off-campus trip was the opportunity to experience a new culture. “It helped me to take a second look at why I do the things I do the way I do them,” she says. “It also left me with a greater sense of independence and confidence in myself. I survived a semester abroad — I can take on the world!”